Open-hearth furnace



Sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,631

A. HERMANSEN O PEN HEARTH FURNACE File Ju e 26, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTOR/VEV! Se t. 22, 1925. 1,554,631

A. HERMANSEN OPEN HEARTH FURNACE Filed June 26 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 3 9w 3 3 mi UH a H" Um H H H H H UH UH H Uh Uh Uh uh Sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,631

' A. HERMANSEN 1 OPEN HEARTH FURPiACE Filed June 26, 1924 's Sheets-Sheet s IAI I/ENTOR BY W W A TTORNEVS Sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,631

A. HERMANSEN OPEN HEARTH FURNACE Filed June 26, 1924 5 Shuts-Sheet 4 9 INVENTOR flmmaz ATTURA/fYS Sept. 22, 1925.

A. HERMANSEN OPEN HEARTH FURNACE Filed June 26, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 JV INVENTOR 'B y Wflm ATTORNEYJ' Patented Sept. 22, 1925,

UNITED STATES AXEL HERMANSEN, 0F INGELSTAD, SWEDEN.

' OPEN-HEARTH FURNACE.

Application filed .Tune 26, 1924. Serial No. 722,494.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, AXEL HERMANSEN, a subject of'the Kingdom'of Denmark, residing at Ingelstad Gard, Ingelstad, Sweden, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Open-Hearth Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact detcription.

My invention relates to furnaces, and has special reference to open hearth furnaces of a type employing apparatus that are in communication with the ends, respectively, of the melting chamber, for utilizing the heat of the Waste gases passing from the melting chamber for the purpose of heating air and directing the heated air into the melting chamber to support combustion. Furnaces of this type are known either as regenerative or recuperative open hearth furnaces, according to whether the air heating apparatus consists of regenerators or recuperators. In furnaces of this type it is not possible to utilize in the air heating apparatus all of the heat value in the waste.

gases, and, consequently, in such furnaces as heretofore constructed a large proportion of the heat value in the gases is wasted.

An object'of the present invention is to provide a furnac of the character indicated which is capable of being so operated that only a sufiicient quantity of the waste gases pass to the air heating apparatus as is necessary to supply the requisite degree of heat for their most efficient operation, while the rest of the waste gases pass to other heat absorption apparatus and thus is put to practical use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an open hearth furnace of the regenerative type which is of simple and compact construction, and economical and highly efficient in operation.

The several features of the invention, whereby the above mentioned and other objects may be attained, will be clearly understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front view partly in section of an open hearth furnace of the regenerative type embodying the features of the invention, the portion of this view which is shown in section being taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-3 and 44, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan View taken sub- 10 and discharge or'tapping holes 12, respectively. Eachend of the melting chamber is divided by a vertical partition to provide passages 14 and 16. Each of 'the passages 14 leads outwardly, then downwardly to a point spaced a distance above the bottom of the furnace, and then forwardly to having suitably arranged charge openings the gas inlet end of a regenerator 18. The

two renegerators may be of any well known constructlon and are located a distance below and in front of the ends of the melting chamber within suitably formed chambers.

The gas outlet ends of the two regenerators are in communication with the ends of a common outlet passage 20 which in turn leads through an openlng 21 to a waste heat boiler 22 arranged adjacent the left hand regenerator 18. The waste heat boiler 22 is located within a suitable chamber 24 and is provided with a gas outlet opening which leads through a flue 26 to the stack 28. Air is admitted to the regenerators 18 through suitably arranged conduits 29, each of which is provided with a damper 31. The common gas outlet passage 20 of the regenerators is provided with sliding dampers 30 at opposite sides of the gas inlet opening 21 in the boiler chamber 24.

The inner ends of the gas passages 16 in the ends of the melting chamber are somewhat narrower than the inner ends of the passages 14, and each of the passages 16 leads outwardly, then downwardly to the bottom of the furnace; then forwardly beneath the lower end of the adjacent passage 14 to a common passage 32 which intermediate its ends is in communication through a passage 34 with the inlet end of a boiler chamber 36 in which is'located a common type of water tube boiler 38. The outlet end of this boiler chamber 36 is in communication with the stack 28 through a flue 40 which is provided with a da-mper'42 near its outer end.

Oil, producer, gas or other suitable fuel is admitted to the melting chamber through valve-controlled pipes 44 which extend downwardly into the passages 14 adjacent the ends of the chamber.

In the operation of the furnace when fuel is to be admitted through the right hand fuel supply pipe 44 the damper 30 associated with the left hand regenerator-'18 is opened, and the other damper 30 is closed; and the air controlling damper 31 associated with the left hand regenerator 18 is closed and the other damper 31 is opened. With the furnace thus adjusted and the oil or other fuel admitted through said right hand pipe 44 is ignited, the greater part of the products of combustion or hot gases will pass out through the left hand passages 14 and 16. This passage 14 will conduct the gases directly to the left hand regenerator 18. then after passing through this regenerator the gases will pass through the outlet passage 20 to the waste heat boiler chamber 24, and after passing therethrough will pass out through the flue 26 to the stack 28. The

gases leaving the'melting chamber through the left hand passage 16 pass to the common passage 32, then through the passage 34 to the boiler chamber 36, and after passing therethrough will be conducted by the flue 40 to the stack 28. In addition to the gases passing through the left hand passages 14 and 16 a certain quantity of the gases will travel in a more or less of a horse-shoe path from the right hand passage 14 to the right hand passage 16 which will conduct these gases down to the common passage 32 from which it will pass to the boiler chamber 38 with the gas entering the passae from the other end of the melting cham er.

While the furnace is adjusted to cause the.

- gases to pass in the direction described and as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6 of the dfawings, air is drawn in through the right hand regenerator and passes in heated condition up through the right handpassage 14 where it mixes with the fuel from supply pipe 44 to support combustion.

' To reverse the direction of travel of the gases so as to cause them to pass through the regenerator 18 at the right hand end of the furnace, the valve in the left hand fuel supply pipe 44 is closed and the valve in the right hand fuel supply pipe is opened, and the positions of the dampers 30 and 31 are reversed. a

It will be apparent that by relatively adjusting the two flue-controlling dampers 42 tion to each other, so that by the proper 'ad justment of these dampers only a sufficient quantity of the gases may be caused to pass through the regenerator to provide for its most efficient operation, the heat value in the remaining part of the gases being utilized in the boiler 38.

The regenerators and boilers 22 and 38 are all arranged beneath a horizontal wall 46 which is spaced a distance below the charge openings 10 in the front side wall of the melting chamber and projects forwardly from said side wall, which provides a compact construction in which all of these devices are enclosed by a single wall "which may be of high heat insulating material, and enables easy access to the devices. By arranging the regenerators at the ends of the furnace with the boilers 22 and 38 between them, the wastegases will enter the regenerators at substantially the temperature that they pass from the melting chamber.

It may be noted that the dampers 30, 31 and 32 are all located'beyond at least one of the heat absorption apparatus so that none of them is subjected to the intense heat of the gases leaving the meltin chamber.

As will be evident to those s illed in the art, my invention permits of various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A furnace of the class described havmg, in combination, a melting chamber, apparatus associated with the ends of the chamber, respectively, for heating air and directing the heated air into said chamber, waste heat absorption apparatus, and suitable means for distributing waste gases from the melting chamberin part to said air heating apparatus and in'part to said waste heat absorption apparatus;

v 2. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber in which the waste gases are adapted to pass alternately from its ends, regenerators associated with the ends of said chamber, respectively, waste heat absorption apparatus, and means for distributing Waste gases passing from each end of the chamber in part through the regenerator associated'therewith and in part to said absorption apparatus.

3. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber in which the Waste gases are adapted to pass alternately from its ends, regenerators associated with the ends of said chamber, respectively, a plurality of heat absorption apparatus, and means for distributing waste gases from each end of thechamber in part first through the regenerator associated therewith and then through one of the heat absorption apparatus, and in part directly through on of the other heat absorption apparatus.

4. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber in which the waste gases are adapted .to pass alternately from its ends. regenerators associated with the ends of said chamber, respectively, a heat absorption apparatus, and means for distributing waste gases passing fromeach end of the chamber in part through the regenerator associated therewith and in part to the heat absorption apparatus, and means located beyond the heat absorption apparatus for controlling the flow of gases therethrough.

A furnace of the class described having. in combination, a. melting chamber in which the waste gases are adapted to pass alternately from its ends, regenerators associated with the ends of said chamber, respectively, a heat absorption apparatus, and means for distributing waste gases passing from each end of the chamber in part through the regenerator associated therewith and in part to the heat absorption apparatus, and means for controlling the flow of the gases to said regenerators and said heat absorption apparatus independently of each other.

6. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber having a plurality of openings in each end thereof and in which the waste gases are a apted to pass alternately from its ends through said openings a regenerator in communication with one of said openings in one end. and heat absorption apparatus in direct communication with another one of the openings in both ends.

7. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber having a plurality of openings in each of its ends and in which the waste gases are adapted to pass alternately from its ends through said openings, regenerators each in communication with one of the openings in both ends, respectively, a conduitconnecting the gas outlets of the regenerators, a flue leading from said conduit, dampers for controlling the passage of gases through said conduit, one of said dampers being located between the gas outlet of one of said regenerators and said flue and-the other being located between the gas outlet of the other regenerator and said flue, a heat absorption apparatus in communication with another one of the openings in both ends of said combustion chamber, a flue leading from said heat absorption apparatus, and dampers in said fines.

8. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber, regenerators associated with the ends of the chamber, respectively, waste heat absorption apparatus, and means for passing waste gases from said chamber to said regenerators alternately, and means for passing waste gases from both ends of said chambers simultaneously to said heat absorption apparatus and independently of said regenerators.

9. A furnace of the class described having, in combination. an elongated melting chamber having its front wall provided with charge openings. regenerators associated with the ends of the chamber, respectively,

. regenerators and said waste heat absorption apparatus having its top wall spaced a dis tance below the charge openings in the front wall of said melting chamber and projecting for 'ardly therefrom.

10. A furnace of the class described having. in combination, a melting chamber, waste heat absorption apparatus, apparatus for heating air and directing the heated air into said chamber. means for conducting waste gases from both ends of said melting chamber to said heat absorption apparatus, and separate means for conducting waste gases from said melting chamber to said air heating apparatus.

11. A furnace of the class described having. in combination, a melting chamber, apparatus for heating air and directing the heated air into said chamber, two waste heat absorption apparatus, means for conducting waste gases from said melting chamber to said air heating apparatus, and separate means for conducting waste gases from both 'ends of said melting chamber to said heat absorption apparatus, respectively, the waste gases entering at least one of said heat absorption apparatus passing directly thereto from the melting chamber.

12. A furnace of the class described having, in combination, a melting chamber, apparatus associated with the ends of the chamber, respectively, for heating air and directing the heated air into said chamber, heat absorption apparatus, means for conducting waste gases from each end of the chamber in part through the air heating apparatus associated therewith and in part to the heat absorption apparatus, and means for controlling the flow of the gases to said air heating apparatus and said heat absorption apparatus independently of each other.

AXEL HERMANSEN. 

